Your how-to: Establishing a voluntary mental health ambassador program
Establishing a voluntary mental health ambassador program in your workplace is the creation of a peer-supported network driven by employees who have an invested interest in promoting mental health and wellness within your organisation. The program is designed for employees to volunteer as ambassadors, creating a safe space for conversations on mental well-being and encouraging colleagues to seek help when needed.
These ambassadors are not mental health professionals but are given training and resources to help them guide their peers towards the right support services. The program helps to reduce stigma, promote open dialogue about mental health and ultimately create a healthier, more supportive work environment.
In the context of Australia, a mental health ambassador program should be established with mindfulness towards the Mental Health Act 2014, ensuring that confidentiality is kept paramount and that each employee's rights to privacy are respected. This could enhance your company's compliance with Australian employment law and permits, while supporting the government's 'National Mental Health Plan's' ongoing strategies towards a healthy working Australia.
Step by step instructions
Understand the Benefits: It's important to acknowledge the benefits of a mental health ambassador program. Understand how such a program can lead to healthier, happier employees, reduced sick leave, and improved productivity. Research well-being initiatives and compare the positive impacts.
Create an Action Plan: Develop a detailed plan outlining the objectives, timelines, and budget. This plan will dictate the course of action and provide clarity on the expectations and outcomes of the ambassador program. Make sure you consider the undertaking of routine reviews to measure the effectiveness of the program.
Select Ambassadors: Open applications for the ambassador program and select diverse volunteer ambassadors from various departments and job roles. The more variety in your ambassadors, the more your employees will feel represented and comfortable approaching an ambassador they can relate to. Ensure that ambassadors feel confident and secure about their involvement, and are prepared to undertake the required tasks.
Integrate the Program: Officially launch the program, introducing your ambassadors to the workforce and reinforcing the availability and purpose of the ambassadors to all staff members.
Gather Stakeholder Support: Seek support from key stakeholders in your business. This includes senior leadership, human resources, and any in-house health and well-being teams you may have. Their buy-in will be instrumental in implementing your program and ensure that it aligns with the overall business objectives.
Promote the Program: Use internal communication channels to introduce the concept of the mental health ambassador program to all staff members. This could be during meetings, newsletters or notice-boards. Explain the benefits and highlight the role of ambassadors, emphasising that this is a voluntary role.
Offer Training: Provide comprehensive training to the selected ambassadors and equip them with knowledge on mental health, recognising signs of stress or poor mental health in coworkers, and strategies to respond in a sensitive, confidential manner. Online resources, books or even external trainers can be employed for this purpose.
Monitor and Evaluate: Continually assess the effectiveness of the program, including feedback from staff, ambassadors and stakeholders. This also includes ensuring that the program is working in accordance with Australian legislation, particularly the Mental Health Act 2014, and maintaining confidentiality.
Use this template to implement
To ensure you can execute seamlessly, download the implementation template.
Pitfalls to avoid
While there is no specific Australian legislation covering mental health ambassador programs, businesses are obliged to ensure a safe and healthy environment pursuant to the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. Make sure to integrate the program within these guidelines to avoid legal issues. Also, make sure in managing sensitive information, ambassadors are trained on confidentiality and privacy, in line with federal Privacy Act 1988.
Ambassadors should receive adequate training in Mental Health First Aid, active listening and crises management procedures. Inadequate preparation might render the ambassador ineffective and increase the risks to both the person in distress and the ambassador themselves.
This program aims to promote a mentally healthier workplace. Skipping the evaluation process, or poorly conducting it, might lead to a lack of understanding on its successes and areas for improvement.
Launching a mental health ambassador program without appropriately communicating the purpose and objectives to employees can lead to confusion and misconception. Ensure your plan is thoroughly explained, highlighting the intended benefits, to gain the understanding and backing of all staff.
Individuals who voluntarily become ambassadors need ongoing support. Failure to provide sufficient guidance, supervision or debriefing could result in burnout, distress or secondary traumatic stress, potentially compromising the mental wellbeing of the ambassador.
A voluntary program runs the risk of having low participation rates if not promoted correctly. Encouraging staff through incentives, recognition and regular communication is vital.